A committee appointed by the Iowa Supreme Court has reprimanded Cass County Attorney James P. Barry for his role in the administration of a questionable speeding ticket policy. The Board of Professional Ethics and Conduct concluded Barry violated parts of the Code of Professional Responsibility for lawyers. The reprimand comes after Barry acknowledged “fixing” speeding tickets by allowing speeders to plea guilty to a non-moving violation, like a headlight malfunction, if they made a contribution to a charity. Barry told the Board he never encouraged people to lie, but the Board said it should have been “obvious” the policy was wrong. The Board said Barry’s policy of dismissing speeding tickets if a person made a contribution to a charity left the impression that justice was for sale in his county. Barry says the ticket-fixing scheme is no longer being used in Cass County.
